 |
Anita Ward Live at The Soap Factory in New
Jersey, Performing Ring My Bell (1979).
Ring My Bell" is a popular disco song by Anita
Ward. Released in 1979, the song hit number one on
the Billboard Hot 100, Ward's only major hit. It
also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.
"Ring My Bell" has been covered by many artists
since its original release, including DJ Jazzy
Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Tori Amos, Blood Sisters,
Dynamic Duo, D'Flow Production Squad, Collette,
Saïan Supa Crew, INOJ, Pato Fu and Joey Boy. It
has also been remixed many times over and is
considered a disco-era classic
Before signing a recording contract, Amanda
Moeller obtained a degree in psychology from Rust
College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and had
become a schoolteacher. While recording her first
album, record company owner Frederick Knight
presented her with a song he had written the
previous year for singer Stacy Lattisaw. Ward did
not like the song, but Knight insisted that a
dance track was needed to capitalize on the
current disco trend, and Ward relented. The song,
which was originally a juvenile-targeted tune
about teens talking on the telephone, was
rewritten with more "adult" lyrics, and the result
was the single "Ring My Bell" which reached number
one in Canada, the United States, and the United
Kingdom in 1979. Disputes with Frederick Knight, a
car accident, and the fading appeal of disco music
halted Ward's career, and she came to be regarded
as a one hit wonder. Only one other single of hers
made the Billboard charts in the U.S., "Don't Drop
My Love," which halted at #87.
On New Year's Eve 2002 she performed "Ring My
Bell" in New York City's Times Square before a
crowd of revelers as part of the city's official
celebration.
On New Years's Eve 2005, Anita performed in
Memphis, Tennessee at Bealstreet. She sang her
number one classic hit "Ring My Bell" and several
other disco hits.
She has also appeared in Zagreb, Croatia on
January 4, 2006, the night before the FIS World
Cup slalom race on nearby Sljeme with some other
groups and singers from disco era (Nile Rodgers &
Chic, Village People, Thelma Houston and Rose
Royce).
The Soap Factory Disco helped put disco on the
national map. It was the location of a weekly
disco television show of the same name in the mid
and late 70s. Not generally frequented by
celebrities, but a fun place. Then, one night at
the close of the 70s, it made the decision to go
from disco to rock and cater to a college crowd.
It was a sign of the times.
Tags : Anita Ward Ring My Bell Soap Factory Disco 1979 |
